The landscape of Israel baseball has been altered over the past few months. St. Louis native Josh Scharff, can now be found at the center of all activities at any time of the day or night in a variety of locations, sharing his vast baseball experience with players of all ages. Josh is a pioneer – he is the first participant in the Masa Israel Sports Initiative – the Israel Baseball Experience - being launched, in partnership with Destination Israel. He is the advance guard of young American players who seek to extend their baseball playing experience beyond college and spend a gap year in Israel working with the Israel Association of Baseball.

Josh told us more about himself and his experience so far.

Who is Josh Scharff?

I was born 25 years ago in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up there. My parents still live there, and I have one sister who lives in Washington, DC. I studied at Yale and played baseball there for all four years – not many people are aware of Yale’s sports teams, but there’s been a Yale baseball team for the past 150 years. As a player, I go anywhere a left handed player can – DH, first base, outfield, pitcher.

After I finished college in 2013, I came to Israel for a few months and volunteered at an elementary school in Netanya. I then went back to the US and worked in Boston for The David Project, an advocacy group focused on college campuses.

How did you come to be the first Israel Baseball Experience participant?

When I was in Israel, I “caught the bug” and I really wanted to come back. My heart was really in it. I looked for ways to get back to Israel, and reached out to Nate Fish, Head National Team Coach for the IAB. He told me about the initiative, and the Destination Israel people invited me to be the pioneer. All I would think was “where do I sign?” This was the perfect marriage of the two things I love – baseball and being in Israel. I arrived back in Israel at the end of August.

What have you been doing over the past few months?

I work on baseball every day. I work with little league teams, I am a coach for the Israel Baseball Academy, I train the baseball players who are serving in the IDF’s sports program, I coach the Jerusalem Premier League team, I run school outreach programs with Nate, and I do some umpiring.

What has been the highlight so far?

Coming back to baseball has been a highlight. I spent two years out of the game and I didn’t think I’d get to play again. Now that I’m back, I see it’s just as great as it ever was. I get the opportunity to work with people from ages 8-20. I get to see them succeed and the joy it brings them. I can see my own successes reflected in them, and I get to relive those special moments of doing something for the first time in baseball like catching a pop fly or making a great hit. It’s a great feeling to give back to a non-profit organization that combines Israel and baseball.

What are the “Israel moments” that stand out in your mind?

The relationship between coach and player is very different here. In the US, we are taught to respect our elders and our coaches, no matter what, and we do. Here, kids constantly question authority. I didn’t expect to have a 9-year-old telling me that I don’t know what I’m talking about! But once they see that you know what you are doing and have expertise, then they will respect you – it’s earned.

I also love the fact that like everywhere, players will yell encouragement from the dugout. Only here, you hear lots of “yallas”.

How do you see your Israel baseball future?

I plan to carry on being part of this initiative as it grows in the coming months. We’re expecting around 10 Masa participants in January who will all be doing what I’ve been doing. Together we will continue to raise the level of baseball in Israel and work in areas that usually aren’t exposed to such a professional level of baseball.

Baseball in Israel doesn’t have the same culture that exists in the US. There aren’t too many kids who have their favorite Major League players and can rattle off their stats. The more players we have who are like this, the more we will be able to change the core of the game in Israel. This is something we can help with moving forward.